2017/18 SBI Bundesliga Season Preview

As we near the beginning of another Bundesliga campaign, the main question is simple: can anybody stand in the way of Bayern Munich and their quest for a sixth consecutive league title?

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have kept a lot of the same faces, while bringing in a slew of young talent as well. Bayern clinched the title a year ago with three matches to spare, while RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, and 1899 Hoffenheim rounded out the Champions League places.

Koln, Hertha Berlin, and Freiburg rounded out the Europa League places, while Darmstadt and Ingolstadt were relegated to the second-tier. Hannover and Stuttgart rejoined the top-flight, one year after being relegated. Borussia Dortmund are favorites to challenge for the Bundesliga crown, while some other sides could sneak in the running.

Without further ado, here is SBI’s full 2017/18 season preview for the German Bundesliga:

AUGSBURG

Player to Watch: Michael Gregoritsch was brought in this summer from Hamburg, and could very well make an impact at the club. He has 11 goals in his last two seasons across all competitions, and could be the team leader in goals by season’s end.

Outlook: Augsburg was one of three top-flight teams last season to have less than double digit victories. They finished a point clear of the relegation playoff spot, and will need to do a better job of scoring goals if they want to avoid a relegation fight.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Player to Watch: 21-year-old midfielder Julian Brandt is a rising name in the Bundesliga. Brandt has 14 goals total in his last two seasons, and will look to carry the team with Javier Hernandez moving back to the EPL. Brandt brings skill and creativity to the midfield, which lost another talented starter in Hakan Calhanoglu.

Outlook: The biggest disappointment last season was Bayer Leverkusen going from third to 12th in a matter of a year. An increase in goals allowed hurt, while the goals scored stayed around the same. With Chicharito gone back to the EPL, goals will need to be scored if Bayer want to avoid another drop in the standings.

BAYERN MUNICH

Player to Watch: Robert Lewandowski is not only the best striker in the Bundesliga, but one of the best strikers in the world. The 28-year-old is coming off back-to-back 30 goal seasons in league play, and has over 40 in all competitions. If Bayern want to add more silverware to their trophycase then Lewandowski needs the ball at his feet.

Outlook: Bayern Munich are clear favorites to repeat as Bundesliga champs. Offensively, they were the only side to score more than 70 goals and, defensively, they allowed less than 35. The key will be making sure they keep the foot on the gas, and don’t give teams a chance against them.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Player to Watch: Christian Pulisic improved not only in the stats column last season, but in his overall play. The 18-year-old American will continue to fight for consistent playing time, and add to his five goals and nine assists a year ago.

Outlook: Dortmund finished in third place last season, good for a spot in the Champions League once again. To compete with Bayern Munich for the title, Peter Bosz’s team will need to turn draws into victories after 10 draws a year ago.

BORUSSIA MÖNCHENGLADBACH

Player to Watch: Striker Lars Stindl was the only Gladbach player to hit double-digits in goals a year ago, and easily has the talent to add to those numbers this year. Stindl has 32 goals in two seasons across all competitions with Gladbach, and is their No. 1 striker. Fabian Johnson is another key player to watch this season too.

Outlook: Gladbach finished in ninth place in 2016/17, finishing with a 12-13-9 record. After a drop in the standings, Gladbach will need to be more competitive this season for a chance at inching towards European competitions again following a disappointing finish.

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

Player to Watch: Mexican international Marco Fabian took a big jump in production last year, scoring seven goals and adding four assists in league play. With his playing time expected to increase, Fabian’s role should also grow as Frankfurt look to move up in the standings.

Outlook: Frankfurt finished in 11th a season ago, but will need to work on picking up results on the road in 2017/18. Out of their 42 points, they only earned 14 on the road posting a 4-11-2 record. That needs to change if they want to avoid an even greater fall down the table.

FREIBURG

Player to Watch: Striker Nils Petersen dropped off in goals last season, going from 21 in 2015/16 to 10 in 2016/17. However, the 28-year-old was a huge reason why Freiburg qualified for the Europa League playoff rounds this summer. Paired with Florian Niederlechner, I expect Freiburg to press for Europe again.

Outlook: A surprise for sure, Freiburg finished in seventh place good for a Europa League qualifying spot. If they can receive consistent goals from their top two strikers, then they should be good shape for another top ten finish.

HAMBURG SV

Player to Watch: 29-year-old Nicolai Muller has made an impact wherever he has played in the Bundesliga. The midfielder scored five goals and added six assists last season, helping Hamburg remain in the top-flight, and one would expect his importance to grow even more this season.

Outlook: Thanks to some late heroics in 2017, Hamburg remained in the Bundesliga for another season. Their struggles on the road a season ago however will need to change if they want to stay in the top-flight going forward. A 2-11-4 record away from home last season, was second worst in the Bundesliga.

HANNOVER

Player to Watch: Striker Martin Harnik led Hannover with 17 goals last season in the 2. Bundesliga division. At 30 now, the Austrian international can help his club solidify a consistent spot in the top flight, starting with this season.

Outlook: Hannover earned promotion this season, thanks to a 19-5-10 mark in the second division. 44 of their 67 points came at home, while 23 came on the road. They will need to use Wolfgang Stark to their advantage this season if they want to avoid any trouble at the bottom.

HERTHA BERLIN

Player to Watch: Vedad Ibisevic has hit double digits in goals for both of his seasons at Hertha Berlin. The 32-year-old Bosnian will look to add to his 12 goals from last season as Berlin try to fight for a European spot.

Outlook: Berlin finished sixth last season, good for a spot in the Europa League. However, the loss of John Brooks will hurt them defensively while their road record needs to improve. Berlin should remain in the top ten this season, but need to improve a 3-11-3 road record to do so.

HOFFENHEIM

Player to Watch: After only making 15 appearances with Hoffenheim in 2015/16, Andrej Kramaric tallied 15 league goals last season. Hoffenheim was one of the exciting teams to watch, finishing in fourth under manager Julian Nagelsmann. Paired with Sandro Wagner, Hoffenheim have a nice 1-2 punch up top again this season.

Outlook: Hoffenheim was impressive in 2016/17, finishing third under Nagelsmann. They were unbeaten at home in league play, while also finishing in the top three on the road too. To replicate that success again, Hoffenheim will need to continue to find success on the road and, if they can, another Champions League berth isn’t out of the question.

KOLN

Player to Watch: Trying to replace last season’s leading scorer Anthony Modeste will be tough for Koln this season. Yuya Osako (seven goals, six assists) will look to fill that void that Modeste left. The Japanese international will have help in Jhon Cordoba, who joined from Mainz this summer.

Outlook: A fifth-place finish for Koln was good enough for a Europa League spot this year. However, the loss of Modeste really hurts their offense after the forward tallied 25 of the team’s 51 league goals a year ago. Scoring is a must if Koln want to avoid a drop out of the top ten.

MAINZ

Player to Watch: Midfielder Levin Oztunali was Mainz’s top player last season, scoring five goals and adding six assists. With their leading striker, Jhon Cordoba, gone, Oztunali will be asked for more as the team tries to score goals consistently. At 21, he has a bright future ahead.

Outlook: Mainz retained their league status on goal difference last season, a big drop off from 2015/16. Going from sixth to 15th probably wasn’t in the team’s plans, and now they will look to climb back up. A 3-11-3 record on the road will need to be fixed for any chance of improving up the table.

RB LEIPZIG

Players to Watch: Striker Timo Werner and midfielder Emil Forsberg are both important to RB Leipzig’s success this season. Werner tallied 21 league goals last season, while Forsberg led the league in assists with 19. Leipzig will have to impress from the get-go if they want to spoil Bayern’s chances at another league crown.

Outlook: RB Leipzig had an incredible season last year, finishing second behind winners Bayern Munich. However, a few losses to teams lower in the table hurt the team’s chances of finishing close to Bayern. Leipzig will need to beat the teams they are capable of beating for a chance at the league crown.

SCHALKE

Player to Watch: In his first season with Schalke, Guido Burgstaller led the team with nine goals. The 28-year-old will have a larger role this season now that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has moved to Ajax. Schalke will need consistent goals from their strikers to avoid a drop off like last season.

Outlook: Schalke finished in 10th a season ago, a five place drop-off from 2015/16. Despite scoring more goals than conceded, Schalke finished with two more losses than victories. A poor start to league play last season forced Schalke to play catch up as the season went on. A better league start this season would do them a lot more good.

STUTTGART

Player to Watch: 29-year-old Simon Terodde has made his living in the second tier of German football. After 47 goals in two seasons with VfL Bochum, Terodde scored 25 with Stuttgart in their promotion campaign a year ago. For Stuttgart to remain in the top-flight, they will need their main man to produce again.

Outlook: Stuttgart won the second division a year ago, edging Hannover by two points. They were the top team on the road, going 8-5-4 for 28 points. If they can come close to replicating those numbers again on the road in the Bundesliga, they should have no problems finishing out of the relegation zone.

WERDER BREMEN

Player to Watch: Max Kruse led Werder Bremen with 15 goals a year ago, and is vital to their success this season. The German has proved his ability to score at the highest level and is Bremen’s best player going forward.

Outlook: Bremen finished in eighth a season ago, earning two more losses than victories. A four-game losing streak to begin the season hurt, while a three-match losing streak ended their season. To make the jump up to a European spot, Bremen needs to avoid lengthy losing runs and fight for more draws than losses.

WOLFSBURG

Player to watch: After five years with Hertha Berlin, John Brooks made the move to VfL Wolfsburg. The American defender joins a Wolfsburg defense that allowed 52 goals in 34 matches last season, and avoided relegation via the playoffs. It was a surprising move for Brooks, and Wolfsburg hopes it pays off. It will take time, though, as Brooks will miss the start of the season due to injury.

Outlook: Despite winning the relegation playoff against Braunschweig, Wolfsburg had a dismal Bundesliga campaign a year ago. Dropping from eighth to 16th in a year was shocking to see and changes need to be made to avoid another bad season. Defensively, 52 goals was a lot to concede and will need to decrease for any struggles again in 2017/18.

Who’s your favorite to win the Bundesliga this season? Which player are you most excited to watch? Which teams will be relegated to the second tier? Can anyone stop Bayern Munich? Who will win the Golden Boot?